Open Palm Hand Covers & Uses of Said Covers

Abstract

The present invention has a palmar portion with only one large recess of substantial sixe to enable skin contact with the skin exposed by the one opening. The one large opening is positioned along the glove palmar portion and does not expose any of the wearer's five metacarpophalangeal joints as well as the thumb metacarpal when the glove is worn.

Description

[0001]This application is a Continuation-in-Part to application Ser. No. 15 / 990,776, which is a Continuation-In-Part to application Ser. No. 14 / 544,887, which is a Continuation to application Ser. No. 13 / 374,868, filed on Jun. 20, 2012, in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relatesto sports apparatus and equipment, and uses thereof, used in playing the game of various sports. The present invention and its multi-sport embodiments enhance the overall performance in athletic tasks or execution during sports play and practice by creating gloves that allow golfers and basketball players better perform hand tasks.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]An important goal in playing sports is to win. Often that means proper play execution, good ball control, good grip and feel, and proper form in the sports fundamentals. Gloves and other types of hand covers are permitted in most sports. Many individuals use gloves to enhance, in some way, their competitive edge. Indeed...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a unique combination of features for a sports glove that helps maintain a good grip on the critical area of the palm and enhances the grip on the top portion of the hand. Additionally, it increases tactile sensitivity on a specific area of the wearer's palm during sports play. The invention can be used for various sports such as baseball and foot ball, and can be customized for easy opening, used by men and women, and those who wear a dominant hand. The glove can also be combined with other embodiments. The design offers a thin layered and light glove option.

Problems solved by technology

This of course is a significant weakness as it minimizes tactile sensitivities along the weak hand.

For example, although prior art golf gloves offer grip capabilities on the fingers of the golfer, it also covers the entire palm area which therefore desensitizes the palm in feeling of any movement by the golf club during a golf swing.

Slight golf club movements indicate improper golf swing mechanics often resulting in poor golf performance.

In fact a common problem for golfers has to do with not being able to keep the golf club from slipping down the edge of the golfer's hand during the golf swing.

When slippage happen, the result is a poor and unpredictable impact of the golf club on the golf ball.

With this being a common and significant problem in golf, it is important for the golfer to first notice when the golf club slips down the pinkie finger metacarpal and then adjust accordingly.

However, as poor ball contact in a golf club swing may be the result of several issues, such as improper golf stance or late unhinging of one's wrists, conventional golf gloves lack a structural feature that allows the wearer to notice whether a poor golf swing was the result of golf club slippage.

For example, one performs a downswing by moving the golf club at very high speeds that increase in velocity by unhinging the wrist, all of which can result in a slight movement of the golf club during the golf club downswing.

Constant swinging of a golf club at real club swing speeds, for example, often results in soreness along and around the edge of the glove, principally on or around the pinkie finger metacarpal and ring finger metacarpal.

This soreness can also come from the rubbing or slipping along the area between the club handle and the weak-hand grip before and through golf ball impact.

This is especially important in the sport of golf because even the smallest of club slipping—during the golf swing or upon impact of the golf ball—can create enormous inconsistencies and inaccuracies, critical issues in determining overall performance in the sport of golf, for example.

The problem is compounded because prior art gloves completely cover the entire edge and entire palm of the weak hand, minimizing the ability to have much feel in that area, and therefore making it very difficult to notice if there was any movement of the golf club during the downswing of the golf swing.

In the sport of basketball, there is a significant void when it comes to grip enhancers that one can use to enhance performance, or even simply for aesthetic purposes or for use during actual game play.

Although there are several generic multisport gloves in the market today, virtually none of the over 100 million basketball players around the globe use gloves when playing basketball.

Although many hand tasks require a good grip, no art currently exists that would adequately provide these players with enhanced grip capabilities, or enhanced protection, without having to sacrifice the critical ability of being able to properly feel the basketball as well.

No prior art exist that would increase the gripping abilities along the top portion of a basketball player's hand which touch a basketball when properly shooting the basketball while leaving the rest of the hand—especially the shooters gap region—uncovered and thus free to feel if the basketball is touching the palm area, indications that would mean that the player is improperly shooting the basketball.

Prior art offers limited assistance in maintaining or learning to maintain this shooter's gap.

This has major limitations, of course as the device hinders the development in properly developing muscles in the fingers to support elevated ball when not using the device.

Although offering some advantages using prior art, in the form of more generic multisport gloves, these gloves also create major disadvantages that often forces an individual to choose not to use any grip enhancing devices at all because the prior art gloves are not structurally useful.

First, most gloves cover the entire palm area, making it impossible to be practically beneficial in the sport of basketball.

Second, prior art gloves that offer recesses over the palm area also having significant disadvantages to the point that they too are not used by the millions of individuals playing the sport.

Leaving the palm area open much wider than the shooters gap region, for example, significantly diminishes the usefulness and can actually distract a player.

The crucial problem is that some of these products also keep the player's shooting pads below her fingers off the ball.

Most of these devices therefore teach a player an incorrect gripping procedure.

Limited prior art exist that provide an athlete with the ability to have enhanced control when dribbling a basketball as well.

Without any extra grip enhancers however, it is difficult to maintain stable control of the basketball.

The conventional solution into either use these wrist bands or using powder on hands before a game starts, however there are clear indications that current remedies are inadequate.

A typical game—even a professional game—often can have many turnovers, for example.

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